Club Hurling 2023

[Oso]

Going to go for Na Fianna but it's going to be a tight enough final

Do you think Slaughtneil or Cushendall can trouble either of them? I'd say based on today the Ulster champs will have a decent chance.

If playing the winners of that game then yes, a pathway to Croke is definitely better than meeting Ballygunner beforehand..

Would love to see Cushendall win next weekend but it's going to be very tough, hoping S'neil have a poor game, but they are decent

Can McManus pull the Dall out of the fire again this Sunday??

I think Slaughtneil will have too much for them TBH, but I'm basing that on last years final, they could be off the boil a bit but are well organised and won't give McManus the same easy ride he got two weeks ago.
I'm expecting it to be feisty enough, with Slaughtneil craft being enough to pull away.

Can't see McManus saving them this time out.  He'll probably be worth around 10 points mind when placed balls are considered.  He's still a massive threat inside and under the high ball with his strength but I don't think he'll get the space and time he got against Portaferry.   And if he doesn't..... Cushendall struggle for scores, a lot of what McLaughlin gets comes off McManus directly or indirectly. 

They didn't look overly impressive against Ballycastle or Loughgiel but they capitalised and made the most of both teams mistakes trying to build from the back and run the ball out of defence at important stages of the game. And loughgiel still almost caught them at the end.

It'll be tougher physically and intensity wise than they've face so far as Loughgiel are young and don't have anywhere near the strength and physicality Slaughtneil have.  People keep highlighting Rodgers but Slaughtneil have a load of very good players.   I see them winning comfortably.

Whoops.

Yep, got that one wrong.

They've gone backwards big time, not helped by Derry's recent football success, clearly their intercounty footballers hurling has declined. Plus the long long lay off didn't help.

Weren't at the racers with match fitness or touch.

[Brendan]

How do Slaughtneil raise their hurling standards as there is simply no competition in Derry, doesn't help that 3 of their best hurlers in recent years can't pick up a hurl for half the year because they're away with the county. The ceiling was an Ulster title, may lower that to stretching out the Derry championships in a row as long as they can

[Milltown Row2]

How do Slaughtneil raise their hurling standards as there is simply no competition in Derry, doesn't help that 3 of their best hurlers in recent years can't pick up a hurl for half the year because they're away with the county. The ceiling was an Ulster title, may lower that to stretching out the Derry championships in a row as long as they can

SN won four, could have won five Ulster titles if not for covid. They had a successful football team alongside that so managed rightly with county players being unavailable, lack of competition in Derry and hamstrung with big ball commitments.

[Splash]

Will be interesting to see how Slaughtneil fare next year playing Antrim Champions in the first round.

Have no idea what they do to try and get back to where they were. Don't think the underage is as dominant in Derry as the senior squad.

Still some great hurlers and at the end of the day were only a few scores away from an Ulster Championship, but just weren't performing the same way they had been over the past few years.

Difficult for Slaughtneil when they are so far ahead of the rest of the county to prepare for the likes of Dunloy or Cushendall. Probably best for the Derry hurling scene in the long run if other teams manage to catch up, though.

Cushendall were on the ball (literally and metaphorically)- fair play to them. Wonder how they'll cope with OLG.

[Eire90]

would it be better to put all senior hurling clubs in ulster into one competition.

[Splash]

would it be better to put all senior hurling clubs in ulster into one competition.

As an Ulsterman, I personally would like to see it, as I think it would be great to see a proper Ulster Championship with clubs from all counties in the province being represented.

There's no point hiding the fact that there would be some awful beatings dished out. This is probably the principle reason it won't happen for the foreseeable future.

For example, the Cavan SHC Champions go into the Ulster Junior Championship. This year, the Cavan Senior Champions got beat well by the Monaghan Junior Champions.

Genuinely can't even begin to imagine what the score would have looked like if Cootehill (Cavan Champions) had have met Slaughtneil or Cushendall in a competitive championship game.

Would like to make it clear, I'm not trying to say anything negative about Cootehill or Cavan Hurling. As great hurling people you will meet anywhere in Ireland. But the point is it wouldn't be fair to have them playing these teams.

Ideally, Ulster GAA put the resources and funding into hurling into the counties, and we do some day get a fully competitive, nine team championship.

Given how the GAA has treated hurling in small counties recently though, we may have to wait a while...

I do think there is an argument, though, that the Armagh Senior Champions and Donegal Senior Champions, and potentially, Tyrone Senior Champions, get added in.

The Armagh Champions played in it until relatively recently. Past ten years I think? In all likelihood, no team in Armagh is anywhere near the level of Slaughtneil/Cushendall/Portaferry, but they're not a million miles away from causing the odd upset in a semi-final if someone has an off day.

Donegal have been putting a lot of work in to their hurling scene so I'm told. Donegal Champions won the Intermediate Championship. I believe if they go on to win the Intermediate All Ireland they'll be playing in the Senior Championship, in the same way Naas went on to represent Kildare in the Senior Leinster Championship after they won the Intermediate All Ireland? May be wrong on that front, though.

Considering how close the Tyrone Champions came to winning the Intermediate Championship I would say they should be given a chance at Senior.

The fact of the matter is though, unfortunately, it's incredibly unlikely these teams would be competitive in the Senior Championship.

Whoever comes out of Antrim (which, in all likelihood, will be Cushendall, Dunloy, or Loughgiel), will, imo, dominate Ulster for the next few years.

Slaughtneil will continue to win Derry, and could very well win Ulster again, but their best days may be behind them, and imo, are no longer the favourites to win Ulster. Getting beat by two different Antrim teams, in 2 finals in a row, solidifies that for me.

Down Champions will be competitive and whilst probably a wee bit off the Antrim teams and Slaughtneil, have it in them to win an Ulster.

Everyone else is a good bit off.

I personally would love to see the Ulster Championship expanded. It would help hurling in the province. But I'd like it to be competitive.

Ulster GAA would really need to do a lot to support and promote hurling, especially in the smaller counties, for it to be successful though.

[Eire90]

i was thinking putting all senior teams in the ulster championship like every antrim senior teams down senior teams and then the other counties you wouldnt have an antrim championship they would all just be put into ulster so it be possible to have an all antrim  final

[johnnycool]

i was thinking putting all senior teams in the ulster championship like every antrim senior teams down senior teams and then the other counties you wouldnt have an antrim championship they would all just be put into ulster so it be possible to have an all antrim  final

What would you gain from that?

[Eire90]

Better  more exciting and competitive  competition what do you have to gain from restricting teams to borders they  can still have an antrim league or separate antrim championship if they want at the moment its always usually slaughtneil in final if slaughtneil had to face a  down or antrim teams earlier on it might be harder from them they practically get  a bye to the final these days open borders means better competition.if you dont think senior teams from other counties are  competitive enough you could restrict it to all antrim and down senior teams plus county champions of other counties.

[Milltown Row2]

Better  more exciting and competitive  competition what do you have to gain from restricting teams to borders they  can still have an antrim league or separate antrim championship if they want at the moment its always usually slaughtneil in final if slaughtneil had to face a  down or antrim teams earlier on it might be harder from them they practically get  a bye to the final these days open borders means better competition.if you dont think senior teams from other counties are  competitive enough you could restrict it to all antrim and down senior teams plus county champions of other counties.

Logistically its all over the place, dragging Portaferry up to Dungiven or vice veras, or Setanta to Newry for 'club championships' is too much, teams in Antrim are playing football and hurling and organising dates to fit into an overly congested format isn't workable.

Would these Championship games be knockout or groups?

There would be no support for it in Antrim if I'm being honest, wining the Antrim title is still a big thing in Antrim

[johnnycool]

Better  more exciting and competitive  competition what do you have to gain from restricting teams to borders they  can still have an antrim league or separate antrim championship if they want at the moment its always usually slaughtneil in final if slaughtneil had to face a  down or antrim teams earlier on it might be harder from them they practically get  a bye to the final these days open borders means better competition.if you dont think senior teams from other counties are  competitive enough you could restrict it to all antrim and down senior teams plus county champions of other counties.

Logistically its all over the place, dragging Portaferry up to Dungiven or vice veras, or Setanta to Newry for 'club championships' is too much, teams in Antrim are playing football and hurling and organising dates to fit into an overly congested format isn't workable.

Would these Championship games be knockout or groups?

There would be no support for it in Antrim if I'm being honest, wining the Antrim title is still a big thing in Antrim

Why would Slaughtneil, Keady or whoever sign up to that let alone the Down clubs.

[SaffronSports]

Ballygunner and Thomas' starting soon. Ballygunner handy enough or can Thomas' land a surprise? Can't see anything other than Ballygunner win myself.

[HiMucker]

Ballygunner and Thomas' starting soon. Ballygunner handy enough or can Thomas' land a surprise? Can't see anything other than Ballygunner win myself.

Some game so far!

[SaffronSports]

Ballygunner and Thomas' starting soon. Ballygunner handy enough or can Thomas' land a surprise? Can't see anything other than Ballygunner win myself.

Some game so far!

Thomas' are flying so far. Better team imo. I strongly fancied Ballygunner but they've a bit to do here.

[imtommygunn]

Playing badly and still very much in it though. Would expect the, to win but hope I am wrong.